Bosnian Genocide

Backround:

Yugoslavia was formed after WWII but tensions rose between various groups in the country including the Serbs, Croatians, and Muslims.

Yugoslavia eventually split, causing the different cultural groups' hate towards each other grow even more. This tension eventually caused fighting between the cultural groups.

Violence Begins

The Serbs wanted nothing more than to eliminate the Muslims their land, and they eventually turned to massacres and brutality to do it.

Serbian troops started to slaughter thousands of Muslim civilians, including women and children. The Serbs also erected concentration camps to further contain and eliminate Muslims

The term "ethnic cleansing" was used to describe the Serbs attempt to purge the Muslims from their land.

The Srebrenica Massacre:

On July 11, 1995 Serbian troops marched into a United Nations safe zone, a town called Srebrenica. The Serbian troops ignored the towns status as a peaceful safe-haven and killed 8 thousand Muslims, burying them in mass graves.

The Serbs tried to hide this massacre by moving the bodies, but their crimes were eventually uncovered. Bodies are still being found from this massacre today.

Justice:

Eventually the United Nations put Serbia on trial for the mass killings and the their terrible treatment of Muslims

On February 26, 2007 Serbia was cleared of its genocide charges. The final verdict stated that most of the blame fell on Serbian officers such as General Ratko Mladic and General Radislav Kristic.

Ratko Mladic

Radislav Kristic

Conclusion:

The Bosnian Genocide was the first genocide attempt on European soil since WWII and will be remembered as one of the atrocities committed by mankind.